MOCstudent-athletes raise $1,000 for charity
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on April 28, 2006 1:48 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- The Mount Olive College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Student Government Association raised more than $1,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation through the College's first womanless beauty pageant since 1988.
Six male athletes traded in their sports gear for sports bras and evening gowns as they competed for the title of MOC woMAN of the year. Basketball player Justin Melton took home the crown and the title for his stellar performance as "Trixie."
Chris "Delicious" Holloway, a member of the Trojan basketball team was named first runner and most talented for his lip-synched performance of Vanessa Carlton's, "A Thousand Miles." The second runner up was Anthony "Serena" Williams, a member of the MOC baseball team. Other competitors included Chuck "Bambi" Williams, Montel "Gramama Louise" Jones and Kyle "Chonga" Lewis.
"Our athletes really put on a good show and the student support was phenomenal," said Sam Mitchell, coordinator of the pageant and a member of the women's volleyball team. "It was a great evening for a very worthy cause. The event really was a lot of fun and I hope it is something that the College will do year-after-year."
Dr. Brenda Cates, faculty athletics representative, said the purpose of the womanless beauty pageant was to raise awareness of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the lead role SAAC groups from NCAA Division II institutions are assuming in the initiative.
"The national goal for the 2005-2006 campaign is $100,000. We are so pleased that our student athletes rallied behind this project to raise over $1,000 on behalf of Mount Olive College," she said.